Podcast listening on rise among women

Podcast listening among women in the US continues to rise, according to a new survey, and is now at 48%. However more than half of those listeners reported that they would listen to more podcasts if they included more female stories and perspectives (55%) or were more often hosted by women (55%). 

The report from Edison Research for SXM Media highlighted that podcast listening has traditionally heavily skewed towards men but, over the past five years in particular, the gender gap has narrowed and now more closely mirrors the US population. It reported that 35% of women in the US have listened to a podcast in the past month, which is estimated to be 47 million and is a rise of 67% over the past five years.

The report also noted several aspects in which these listeners stood out from the general population. They were more likely to:

– be younger
– in the workforce
– have higher incomes
– be more highly educated
– be mums with children under 18.

Drop in episode releases over Christmas

Data published by Dan Misener shows a drop in the number of podcast episodes released in the final week of December 2021, suggesting that podcasters take a break or ease off their output at this time of year.

Misener, co-founder of Bumper, compiled the information using data from almost a million episodes from Apple Podcasts and backed up his findings with similar data from podcast host Simplecast.

He also examined whether listeners download fewer episodes at the end of December and suggests there does appear to be a drop off – but in this aspect, the data presented comes from two case studies rather than wide-ranging information from many different podcasts (which would be difficult to obtain).  

The fact that fewer people are releasing episodes at this time of year could be viewed as a greater opportunity to get your show heard, with the caveat that your potential audience may be reduced as a result of festive activities, changes in habits, travel etc. 

Read the full post here.

Podcasting goes local

Kerri Hoffman, the CEO of PRX, has written in her Predictions for Journalism 2023 for Nieman Lab that “podcasting will grow as an essential source of news, storytelling, and opportunity within local communities”. 

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard talk of the rise of local podcasts and it echoes a recent trend from media organisations towards local coverage. Hoffman points out that there is often a greater level of trust in local news, which dovetails nicely with the high level of trust that listeners have in podcast hosts. 

While one strength of podcasts is the ability to connect with audiences anywhere in the world, another is that they often serve a niche, localised audience that might otherwise be overlooked by more mainstream media. Independent podcasters with community focused shows will no doubt watch developments with interest.